lksopener Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Hi guys, I've been out clay shooting with my dad today and left because a number of the traps weren't working and a stupidly high proportion of no birds! On a previous visit I saw the owner picking up unbroken clays to reload the traps, is this common place? I won't be visiting again and I'm annoyed as it's very close to home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnphilip Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 You are paying for new clays and any no bird tell them, also if a trap is not working i let them know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del T Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I've heard of some grounds re-using clays but this must cause more no birds as it has already hit the ground once before, maybe more! We shot yesterday and one trap wasn't working, it must have conked out after the first person used it as it was almost full. Out of a dozen or so people to shoot the stand before us, we were the first to let the groundsman know. He zoomed off on his quad bike to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I keep a tally of no birds when I shoot, and tell the owner when I go back to pay; normally, these get subtracted from the total I shot. Get a clicker, or a notepad and write down the trap that are failing too, most of the time, the owner is quite happy to have that information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowStandards Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 The ground I use has an alarm button at each trap, someone's there in minutes if you press it. Plus we always get asked about no birds I thought it was a given Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Any reputable ground will usually allow 10% against no-birds. Vote with your feet and don't grace their poor little shoot again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del T Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 The ground I use has an alarm button at each trap, someone's there in minutes if you press it. I like that idea, saves trudging all the way back to the clubhouse. Most of the grounds we shoot have the groundsman driving about now and again checking if the traps are working which is good. Still doesn't stop no birds though. Best ground for hardly any no birds was kelbrook. Over 300clays and only 3 no birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Hi guys, I've been out clay shooting with my dad today and left because a number of the traps weren't working and a stupidly high proportion of no birds! On a previous visit I saw the owner picking up unbroken clays to reload the traps, is this common place? I won't be visiting again and I'm annoyed as it's very close to home. Traps work very hard so it`s inevitable some will breakdown and usually at the worst time. However there should be someone at the ground who can do running repairs for minor issues. Using pick ups is very common, certainly at smaller grounds. It helps the ground make extra profit and in some cases also helps keep costs down. There are plenty of the smaller grounds that operate on an honesty policy. You pay for your birds then go out and shoot them. The grounds accept you might sneak in an extra shot or two here and there and the pick ups help cover that extra cost. At the grounds I`ve visited that use dongles to count your number of clays I`ve never had one query the number of no birds I`ve claimed so I don`t regard it as a huge issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Hi guys, I've been out clay shooting with my dad today and left because a number of the traps weren't working and a stupidly high proportion of no birds! On a previous visit I saw the owner picking up unbroken clays to reload the traps, is this common place? I won't be visiting again and I'm annoyed as it's very close to home. Steve Smiths (Jack Reeds) does this,and they have recently put prices up, I think it's wrong for a commercial club to use pick ups, Our club will pick up unbroken clays but the re use them in manual traps, auto traps get new clays......But we are a small non commercial club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lksopener Posted March 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 You don't get charged for the no birds. It's just very annoying I've given up with the place now for good. Dad had four consecutive pairs break, it's pathetic. I'm going back to Orston and Nottingham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Relax guys, some traps are tricky as well -- also if you come in the morning after a frost they might have got stuck etc. If you make a tally and you don't pay for them, give the owners a chance. A clay that is not broken and is clean could get used again -- why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jega Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 You don't get charged for the no birds. It's just very annoying I've given up with the place now for good. Dad had four consecutive pairs break, it's pathetic. I'm going back to Orston and Nottingham. Out of interest which ground was this . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Relax guys, some traps are tricky as well Very true. We have a couple that if they`re set at a bit too steep of an angle, especially when they run low, that just smash clays to pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 One local ground used to allow ten percent and has dropped it to five percent and expects you to walk quite a way back to let them know of broken traps. When it was ten percent I very rarely got any extra clays at the end as you usually had around that in either broken clays coming out of the traps or nothing st all and every press of the button took clays off you, annoying on simo pairs if both don't come. Tend not to shoot there much anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 I think some clay manufacturers state they have a target of consistency less than 2% of breakages and they estimate that there is around 7 different times when they clay is handled from factory to trap. It would be fair to say that a trap failure should be much less than 2%, but maybe if we include dodgy buttons, low batteries, carousels emptying, water ingress into electronics, dodgy cables, traps getting hit by shot so fracturing clays in the stacks, etc that would all add to another 2%-3%. A ground with well maintained traps, good quality clays, well setup machines and good storage and handling practices of clays should have a failure rate below 4%. Of course the 4% won't be linear, so someone might have 8 no birds out of a 100 and someone 0. Why don't you ask the ground what their target is for no birds, I reckon that most commercial grounds will measure it. If they can't then they are missing a trick in saving themselves money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Not all pick ups are created equal and it does depend on how much the ground charges and also whether they use them on a comp day but it does also give one the idea of offering to pay only for the clays you hit if they're gonna be reusing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Some days all traps work perfectly ,nothing goes wrong and everyone goes home happy. And some days it seems nothing goes right,and everyone grumbles under their breath that its just not good enough. All I can say is,if its usually good and the price is right,then give it another chance,setting up a sporting course is not an easy thing on a cold morning,and clay traps are not the most sophisticated of machines. Yes ,I pick up unbroken clays if they are nearby where I set the trap up,as long as they look Ok and are not covered in mud or leaves. No ,I wont fill the trap with them,there simply isnt that many that survive not being shot ,and then hitting ground or trees. If you are paying up front for a shoot,then it doesnt really matter,just hit the button until you have done,if the trap breaks down and cant be fixed mid shoot,find another way to get your moneys worth. If you pay at the end ,complain,and you should be discounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 I don't have my own ground now but I used have a small ground. I used to pick up all the unbroken clays and the bigger bits thought they looked really untidy, I'd give all the unbroken ones to the local cadet to use in their manual traps, yes they got no birds but it was cheap shooting for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 If you are experiencing a problem on a stand, why not phone the clubhouse/ground, let them know what stand you are having a problem with and give them a chance to rectify the problem. In the end it should be better for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1961 Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Cold weather also makes the clays more brittle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Cold weather also makes the clays more brittle And ruins batteries ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenlivet Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Very true. We have a couple that if they`re set at a bit too steep of an angle, especially when they run low, that just smash clays to pieces. Our looper is a bu**er for this. Got to be upright and well fed. Steve Smiths (Jack Reeds) does this,and they have recently put prices up, I think it's wrong for a commercial club to use pick ups, Our club will pick up unbroken clays but the re use them in manual traps, auto traps get new clays......But we are a small non commercial club. We use pick ups for testing during set up and firing off a soft spring manual trap which is usually ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 And ruins batteries ! Very true, we`ve lost a few over the winter. Our looper is a bu**er for this. Got to be upright and well fed. Interesting. We`ll be getting a looper soon, will have to keep an eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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